


A Song About Believing

by ouieriksson



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-13
Updated: 2013-04-13
Packaged: 2017-12-08 08:21:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/759205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ouieriksson/pseuds/ouieriksson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eric wasn’t usually one to believe in “fate.” If it had happened in any other way, he would have dismissed it as coincidence. Happenstance. Nothing meaningful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Song About Believing

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this tweet:  
> [](http://tinypic.com?ref=e9g2ec)

Eric Nystrom was seated comfortably next to his line mate Vernon Fiddler on the team bus. They were headed to the airport to catch their flight out of Nashville and into Dallas and there was a warm chatter amongst the boys as they had finally calmed down a bit after wiping the ice with the Predators and bringing home two points. Eric was glad because as much as he loved postgame celebrations with his teammates, he wasn’t sure if his ears would survive listening to another Rick Ross song turned up as loud as the iPod dock in the locker room would allow. 

The bus’s radio was tuned to a classic rock station—Coach Gully’s doing, no doubt—so Eric was finally able to lean his head back and rest his eyes. He wasn’t bothered much by the weak chirps that Dillon and Roussel were throwing at each other from opposite sides of the bus. Though if he was being honest, that was probably because he could only understand one side of the argument. 

“Rouss, I don’t even know what you’re saying! I’m telling you, you’ve got a mouthful of marbles!” Dillon shouted from the front of the bus. It didn’t deter Roussel much.

“N’importe quoi! Vous et vos prétextes!” Everyone listening rolled their eyes. Roussel had started their friendly battle of wit in English, but had switched back into French the second they regressed into grade school children yelling on the playground. 

“He says you’re making up excuses,” Chiasson translated for Dillon. He often had the task of deciphering Roussel’s accent laden jargon. He himself had difficulty with English when he first moved to the States considering the only words he knew at the time were yes, no, and toaster.

Eric eventually tuned out Dillon and Rouss completely and started to nod off to the sound of Fidds and Loui talking next to him. He blamed it on Loui’s voice, as it had a soft, soothing cadence when he spoke in English. 

Soon the bus quieted down enough to hear the hum of the radio and Eric could understand about every other word sung. As one song ended and another began, he thought his ears had mistaken him. He could have sworn he heard the opening chords of the song he knew best. He gave it a few seconds and when he realized everyone else’s ears had perked up just as his did, he knew it wasn’t a mistake. 

No one sang along with the first verse because they weren’t sure if it was really happening or if they had all just hit the smelling salts too hard that night. A nervous, but somewhat giddy laugh came out of Jamie Benn’s throat as he moved to hit his brother Jordie on the shoulder. Jordie just shook his head and grinned. Then, right on time with the words, Cody Eakin sang (though it probably couldn’t pass for singing anywhere else) “THE SMELL OF WINE AND CHEEEAP PERFUUUUME!”

It was all downhill from there and suddenly the entire team was singing their hearts out. If they weren’t singing, they were laughing. Even the quietest of the group had large smiles plastered on their faces.  
Eric wasn’t usually one to believe in “fate.” If it had happened in any other way, he would have dismissed it as coincidence. Happenstance. Nothing meaningful. But it didn’t happen any other way and his team was in the middle of a four game winning streak while two points out of eighth place, fighting for a playoff spot.

And here they were on a bus, in the middle of Nashville, singing a song about believing.


End file.
